Hello out there,

I'm a pianist (classical skilled) and looking for a stage piano. It's
important to me that the piano has a 'real' (?) piano-keyboard, and
that the piano-sounds are as good as possible. I need the instrument
for live-performing (classical, but also pop-music) and as a
studio-instrument.

I find those qualities in the Roland RD-700 and the XV-88, but I want
to know what the big differences are between those two instruments
(the hammer keyboard, the hammond-sounds of the RD, the
synthesizer-qualities of the XV,...). Perhaps, someone has dealt with
the same problem and can help me finding the right instrument...

Thank you for your time...

The RD700 is a wonderful keyboard and the action is heavier than the XV88. It also has the drum patterns that come in handy .... and OH, those scat voices.

Don't discount the FP3 either - the lpian sound is STELLAR, and the action is great too. It's cheaper and lighter than both of the othrs too.

Just repeating my opinion from previous thread: After playing two weeks on the RD-700 I have following remarks:
PIANO SOUND
* the piano sound is very dark, mellow in my opinion
* the piano tones sounds somehow very short compared with other pianos
* the velocity sample switching is very strong, not natural
* cheaper gear like FP3, P-120 have better piano sound

I am looking now for a better piano sound considering the SRX-02 card. But there are rumors, that this piano card has very dark piano too and the velocity switching is to obvious. There are also messages that Roland changed the SRX-02 acustic samples now because of bad market acceptance.

See also the www.purgatorycreek.com for sound samples. The
FP3 there sounds much more better as the RD and SRX stuff.
Hear carefully the sample music at 5-14sec. position.
There is something in the sound like a dynamical change of equalizer for every tone.
Generally I need to say that I am dissapointed by current Roland
RD and SRX piano sound.